NEWS RELEASE                                                                                                    SEPTEMBER 2012

$5.5 Billion Market for NO_x Control Systems Next Year

Operators of combustors, kilns and chemical plants will spend $5.5 billion next year for new NO_x control systems and for the replacement catalyst needed for systems already in place. This is the latest forecast in NO_x Control World Markets published by the McIlvaine Company.

NO_x System and Catalyst Revenues ($ Millions)

World Region                             2013

Africa                                             9

CIS                                                 9

East Asia                                 3,366

Eastern Europe                          266

Middle East                                 36

NAFTA                                   1,391

South & Central America            17

West Asia                                  15

Western Europe                        414

Total                                       5,523

The forecasts are in 2010 U.S. dollars and are pegged on system and catalyst pricing which prevails in the U.S. and Europe. The actual selling prices in local currencies are considerably less in East Asia.  This region will purchase 63 percent of the units but will spend much less when currency adjustments are considered. 

The power industry will account for more than 85 percent of the total. Cement plants, refineries and chemical plants will all be relatively small purchasers. The major markets over the next decade will be the large electricity generators around the world.  The next major target will be cement plants. A few selective catalytic reduction systems (SCR) are already installed in cement plants in Europe and the U.S., but over the next ten years it is likely that most will install some type of post-combustion control.

The art of catalyst maintenance has improved greatly. There are now three options including catalyst cleaning, catalyst rejuvenation and catalyst regeneration. These techniques can extend the catalyst life substantially.

Selective non-catalytic reduction (SNCR) is less efficient but also less costly than selective catalytic reduction. Where NO_x levels are low or the standards more lenient, this becomes a popular choice.  One alternative gaining ground is the use of ozone. Another is the use of hydrogen peroxide. Both these technologies can supplement selective catalytic reduction.

One of the technologies with the biggest potential to change the market is a high temperature filter with catalyst integrated into the fiber matrix. This development by Clear Edge is now commercial.

For more information on NO_x Control World Markets, click on: http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/brochures/air.html#n035